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Thursday, February 17, 2011

ZIPP’S ROAD PREVIEW: SOME NEW FACES, SOME FAMILIAR FACES
From the Spring Classics to the Tour de France to the World Championships, 2010 was a phenomenal year for Zipp’s pro road teams. Even though our roster has changed for 2011, we’re as excited as we’ve ever been to start a new season. With Saxo Bank-SunGard and Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12, we’ll get to work with a fresh group of young, hungry riders mentored by two of the most experienced leaders in the sport. Now racing with Zipp wheels, Service Course components and SRAM drivetrains, Peanut Butter & Co features the comeback of former world and Olympic champion Kristin Armstrong. After winning the 2009 world time trial title on Zipp wheels, Kristin spent last season as the team’s director while starting a family. Now, she returns to full-time competition with an eye towards next summer’s Olympics in London.
Of course, Kristin is far from the team’s only threat. The 2011 roster includes U.S. national team member Alison Tetrick Starnes and Irish national champion Olivia Dillon. Younger talents include cyclocross standout Kaitlin Antonneau and sprinter Coryn Rivera.
Meanwhile, Zipp and SRAM’s longest-running road sponsorship continues with Bjarne Riis and Saxo Bank. Despite the roster changes, we’re optimistic that Bjarne’s squad will surprise a lot of people this season. For one, we saw firsthand how his leadership and knack for team building grew Team CSC from a Tour wildcard selection to the number 1 squad in the world. We believe he can do it again. We also believe in Saxo Bank’s riders like Classics specialist Nick Nuyens, former Tour green jersey winner Baden Cooke, and Richie Porte, who last year finished seventh in the Giro as a neo-pro.
Granted, Saxo Bank-SunGard and Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 are very different programs. But each one has a distinctive personality and experienced leadership. Plus, they both have broad range of talented athletes – climbers, time trialists, all-arounders, and sprinters – to take advantage of Zipp’s full lineup.
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